Mental Illness
Deviance is said to be in the eye of the beholder so what I may see as deviant you may see as normal. So how does one particular behavior get labeled deviant by one society and not another? My topic is mental illness and how it was given the deviant label. Mental illness has been misunderstood since the beginning of time, and even today with all the modern technology deviance is still misunderstood(1). Deviant behavior is created by society therefore there must be some rules or guidelines as to what gets labeled and what doesn't. The construction of mental illness as deviant involves a step by step process. This process includes 1. Defining the problem. 2. Railing support. 3. Applying the label. The first step in the construction of mental illness as deviant is defining the problem. There has to be recognition of the behavior. Someone has to notice the behavior in order for it to be labeled. So how exactly is mental illness defined? There is no universally accepted definition of mental illness. The definition of mental illness depends
We as a society need to reasses our opinions of the mentally ill. Early man couldn't come up with a clear explanation to what it was or why It effected some and not others(2). 11, 200 From the World Wide Web:http://www. Early man thought the mentally were posed by demons, so if someone wanted to label all the posed people deviant I don't believe anyone would have protested against it (2). Applying the Label The last step in this process is simple the application of the label. Living with a mental illness and having to deal with the negative reactions to it is hard. Applying the theory of differential social power can also see the construction of mental illness. The deviant label was given to the mentally ill just so those who have power will stay in power. Not only must they cope with their disorders, but they must also deal with the negative attitudes of the public toward those disorders"(Wahl preface).
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